It was revealed this week that taxpayers had to fork out Ã‚Â£143,000 to pay for security to protect BNP leader, Nick Griffin, during his appearance on the BBC’s Question Time.

Police figures showed it cost Ã‚Â£109,000 in police wages with a further Ã‚Â£13,000 in overtime pay. The helicopter, transport costs, barriers & sign posting for road closures added another Ã‚Â£21,000 to the bill.

Critics have said the BBC should foot the bill. Labour MP Andy Slaughter, whose constituency covers the Television Centre, said: “It was a decision by managersÃ‚Â to put him on the programme so maybe they should put their money where their mouth is. People will be horrified to find out that so much money has been spent giving a fascist party their best ever publicity.”

Anti fascist groups organised a demonstration/picket of the BBC Television Centre & many individuals forced their way through police lines in efforts to breach security & disrupt Griffin’s appearance on the show.

So critics of the show are demanding the BBC pay for an operation to stop people using violence to silence free speech in pursuit of, er, free speech?

What about sending the bill for protection of someone’s safety & possibly life to those who threatened that safety; the people who tried to break the law in order to stop Griffin? Those anti-fascist groups & all the people who tried to get into the BBC might be a good start. If they hadn’t decided to attend in the first place there would not be a requirement to send in the police to stop them tearing Griffin limb from limb.

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